Major companies such as Microsoft are ranking diversity as a high priority when hiring outside legal teams, and there are signs that some Big Law firms have come become more inclusive when it comes to the LGBT community. But how much change has there really been in terms of the representation of lawyers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender?
Most of the 130 firms that responded to the survey consistently in each of the past four years are in the Am Law 200, and they include giants like Latham & Watkins and DLA Piper, as well as Fenwick & West, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and other firms with somewhat smaller footprints. The numbers suggest not only a steady increase in the aggregate number of attorneys who identify as LGBT at these firms, but that the growth in LGBT attorneys is outpacing overall law firm headcount growth.
